ATV

Ariane 5 flight VA214 launch kit

25 July 2013

Flight 214 is the 70th Ariane 5 launch and the third in 2013. It follows on from a series of 55 consecutive successful Ariane 5 launches. An ARIANE 5 ECA (Cryogenic Evolution type A), the most powerful version in the ARIANE 5 range, will be used for this flight.

The main mission of Flight 214 is to place the ALPHASAT and INSAT-3D commercial payloads into a low-inclined standard GTO orbit.

The mass of ALPHASAT is 6649 kg, with 2061 kg for INSAT-3D. Allowing for the adaptors and the SYLDA 5 structure, total performance required from the launcher for the orbit described above is 9674.1 kg. It should be remembered that the maximum performance offered by the Ariane 5 ESC-A launcher exceeds 10300 kg (performance recorded by ARIANE 5 ECA L568-V212, on February 7, 2013) for a standard orbit inclined at 6°.

Ariane 5: placing the heaviest loads in orbitAriane 5 is a major element in Europe’s unrestricted, independent access to space. Airbus Defence and Space, as prime contractor and lead manufacturer, is one of the keys to this success, with experience dating back to the beginnings of the European space industry, the Diamant and early Ariane launchers...